Creating a Home You Love: Style Board

You’ve probably noticed that over the past few months I’ve been exploring the topic of creating a home you love that also fits your family’s needs. With a little creativity, those two ideas really can go hand in hand. That thought has been percolating in my brain for awhile, and I first started to flesh out the idea of designing for the seasons of your life in a guest post on Fieldstone Hill.

Darlene recently wrote a post about how to create a signature style board. This lady knows her stuff: in fact, Darlene’s work was recently featured in a wonderful article about Edie Wadsworth’s home in Better Homes & Gardens! Her tutorial on creating a style board inspired me to carve out a few minutes of my day to peruse my Pinterest boards and pull out the pictures that most exemplify my style. In about 15 minutes*, I suddenly had a snapshot of my personal style that spoke to my {design loving} heart.

* and if you can resist the siren call of browsing Pinterest, you really can do this in 15 minutes. Just be sure to stay on your own boards and don’t wander off too far!

Yup, that’s what makes my heart go pitter patter. To find these photos, I simply went through my boards and pulled the ones that made my heart skip a beat. Then I added them to PicMonkey as a collage, and played for a few minutes until the board really spoke to me. {more detailed instructions can be found here}

After I saved it, I took a look at the common threads. Do you see a connection between the photos? Here’s what I notice:

Now that I have a glimpse into my style, and since personal style is fairly timeless, I have a guide for creating rooms I truly love. I’ve printed it out and pinned it to the huge bulletin board in our dining room (tutorial coming on Monday!) so I can refer to it for inspiration whenever I please. I’m also going to print out a copy to carry with me on shopping trips, so when I get lost and confused about whether to purchase something a quick peek at my board will remind me if it’s something I’ll love, or if it’s a regrettable impulse buy.

There’s a few photos that didn’t make the board. As much as I loved them on Pinterest, they didn’t fit with the other pictures:

At first I wasn’t sure why they didn’t fit. After looking at the photos, I’m pretty sure I would have added the lemon candles and the beautiful etagere scene from Ballard Designs if I’d had room on my board. As for the balcony and fizzy looking Caipirissima cocktail, I don’t have anything home decor wise that’s raspberry/fuchsia. But I do love to wear that color and have lots of fuchsia plants outside in the summer so I think it’s speaking to my summer-loving heart. Or perhaps, just maybe, my house needs a little pink? Or I need a cocktail right now, preferable somewhere lovely and warm? 😉

There you have it, my signature style board. Tag, you’re it! Following Darlene’s tutorial, create your own signature style board. And please oh please, leave a link in the comments or add it to the Making Lemonade Facebook page. It’s so fun to explore other people’s style, and especially exciting to catch a look at someone else’s heart for a minute!

Meet Carrie Higgins

Dreamer, thinker, + lemon squeezer; you'll usually find me clutching a mug of coffee, glue gun, fandeck of paint colors, and a child at any given time. This mom of two (and wife to one) loves to share freshly squeezed ideas for home and family. Join the adventure as we learn most lemons can indeed become lemonade-- with generous amounts of sweetness, perspective, and love.

Comments

I love this idea. Before pinterest I used to do this with magazine pages. I’m going to have to try this and see if my style has changed. I also found the phrase “personal style doesn’t change” interesting. Maybe that’s why I always end up going back to red, even when I try to make myself pick out something different. :0)

That is a fun idea. I love what you chose – mostly neutral with that pop of color. I follow Darlene’s design tips and it’s changed the way I shop for my house. It’s really helping me to slowly but surely create the feel I want out of our home – to only buy items that represent the goal I’m after. I don’t know how I’ll choose just a few photos from my pinterest boards!

I thought choosing a just a few photos would be hard too, but for some reason it was easier than I expected– of course, I think I could have made about 5 different boards if I’d allowed myself to spend a little more time on there. 😉 Can’t wait to see yours!

Okay Carrie, you have inspired me to do this into the wee hours of the morn. I posted about it here:http://pinterest.com/pin/286823069990201285/
That was fun! Now to take all those style ideas and make them come to life in my house!!

I thought this was a fantastic idea! Your board is lovely!
I did mine and learned a few things about myself! Here is the link to my style inspiration on Darlenes’ Must Follow Interior Designers board which I am so lucky to contribute to!http://pinterest.com/pin/200621358372477974/

It’s lovely! I left a comment on the pin, but wanted to say that your photos have a definite thread throughout. I’m loving the dark wood, neutral colors, and timeless and classic design. It’s such a treat getting a glimpse into your personal style!

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Hey there, welcome! I'm Carrie-- a dreamer, overthinker, + lemon squeezer, making it my mission to share fresh ideas for home and family. You'll usually find me clutching a mug of coffee, glue gun, fandeck of paint colors, and a child at any given time. Join the adventure as we learn most lemons can indeed become lemonade-- with generous amounts of sweetness, perspective, and love.